Narrow gap welding of

heavy wall thickness

materials in nuclear and
fossil fuel industries
The different variants: advantages and
limitations indicated by examples

TIG welding of heavy wall thickness materials in an orbital configuration, or prefabricated

on rotating work pieces, is ever more common despite the many alternative technologies.
This process has proven that, once all the constraints have been taken into account, TIG
welding remains an excellent process for dealing with the many inconsistencies that have
to be incorporated to make automation successful. Polysoude has paid close attention to
the various manufacturing conditions which, due to their complexity, require a specific
solution almost every time. It brings accommodation of the technical procedure and the
welding equipment to reach the most apposite compromise.

By Jean-Pierre Barthoux, Polysoude, France

The determining variables
The approach to setting up a narrow gap
welding procedure specification requires
precise analysis of certain essential
variables. These variables will be the main
factor in determining whether or not it is
truly possible to perform narrow gap
welding within the financial or technical
constraints of the project environment,
especially in the nuclear industry. Let us
review the main points and associated
considerations.
thicknesses of 60 \mm and above,
optimisation of welding time may achieve a
factor of between 5 and 10 in relation to
conventional TIG welding. This takes into
account the combined effect of the
reduction in the quantity of metal deposited
and of the rate of deposition in the
process.
Preparation and alignment
conditions
The machining and alignment tolerances are
used as the first significant criteria to confirm
that a narrow gap TIG technique can be used.
In the most critical cases, with full
penetration root pass, the alignment precision
and clearance values between the two root
Fig. 1 :
Shrinkage curve in
relation to the
thickness

Dimensional characteristics of
the workpieces
Of course, this is a fundamental point as
the relevance will increase as the thickness
increases. Consideration must be given to
the fact that the narrow gap technique is
trickier to develop and will only be of
benefit and be cost-effective when the
Opening of the
thickness is consistent. As a general rule, groove according to
narrow gap welding will not be cost- the material

effective or technically efficient for

thicknesses of less than 25mm. For

36 Focus on Nuclear Power Generation, November 2008

faces, associated with machining tolerances
will allow the welding specialist to evaluate
the compatibility between the welding
conditions and the automatic TIG process.
The lack of accessibility for manual welding
due to the width of the weld groove only
allows a small amount of flexibility. It
generally excludes situations wherein
machine tools or alignment tooling cannot
correct a poor alignment of less than 75% of
the thickness of the root face to be achieved,
with a gap which does not exceed 0.5 to 0.8
mm. These decision-making criteria are, of
course, relaxed for welding without full
penetration, backing, sealing run, etc.).
Grades and operating constraints
The grade(s) to be welded are essential when
considering narrow gap welding.
The ensuing weldability will determine the
level of constraint to be considered for the
equipment (thermal insulation, thermal
screen, additional cooling system, specific
saddles, etc.) The mechanical characteristics
of the materials and their behaviour in terms
of welding shrinkage will be used to
determine the profile of the weld groove
(the angle of the weld groove will be chosen
according to the grade and thickness to be
welded) (figure 1).
Then, it is advisable to ensure that the
material is not susceptible to cracking which
could prove to be more or less incompatible
with either the stresses caused by
solidification or with the level of energy
needed to avoid compactness defects,
(mainly from lack of fusion).
Finally, the ability to weld without filler wire
will be important to evaluate the "adaptability"
to narrow gap welding (management of starts
and stops, re-melting passes…)
Welding position
The welding position is also fundamental in
selecting the operating process. The need to
weld in position will substantially reduce the
level of productivity of the process which is
characterised by different weld pass
thicknesses. It should be noted that,
depending on the materials and chemical
analysis involved, there are applications
where welding in and upward or downward remains constant and between 8 and 10mm.
direction cannot be performed. (figure 2). Thicknesses of less than 40mm do
not need a specific torch (figure 3).
Manufacturing context The adjustment of electrode stick-out is
Some related factors could be influential sufficient to ensure an effective level of gas
when deciding on the operating process or protection for a majority of materials. It
simply disqualify the narrow gap approach. should be noted that Polysoude has
Examples are: developed a motorised programmable device
- Backing accessibility or non-accessibility to make automation management easier,
(raises the question of the possibility either to with fully automatic control of the length of
strike the root off level or to weld inside with the electrode, the diameter to be welded
X preparation).
- Control and traceability of supplies,
management of base materials and filler wire
products, the possibility to develop with
materials coming from the same processing
or the same melt for filler wire products is
recommended.
- With regard to non-routine maintenance or
maintenance related to a large number of
welds to be made. The development time
and means are substantial in order to carry
out tests to establish the parameter limits.
- Whether the company has a team of
welding technicians and resources
compatible with the required technical skills.
Selection of operating procedure
Analysis of the initial variables will help to
determine the appropriate operating
procedure and equipment adapted for various
applications. Every technique varies
significantly for each different field of use.
Mastering this set of variables guarantees the
best compromise whilst minimising risks.
1. Narrow gap TIG welding,
straight single-pass layer by layer
This technique offers the best productivity
gains while remaining simple for operators to
carry out. On the other hand, developing the
welding process specification can be most
tedious since every aspect must be taken
into account:
- weld shrinkage
- operating weldability
The technique would be relatively simple
since it consists of making a single-pass layer
by layer and then including the weld Fig. 2 Hot wire narrow gap weld. One pass
per layer.
shrinkage by adjusting the angle of the weld
Wall thickness 180 mm, base material: low
groove profile so that the width to be welded alloy steel P91.
Focus on Nuclear Power Generation, November 2008 37
and the welding parameters without
intervention by the operator. The most
frequent use of this would be continuous
rotating tube welding to avoid stopping
between passes or orbital welding in harsh
environments to control the electrode stick-
out by remote control.
For the heaviest wall thicknesses
engineering design involves, on one hand,
finding the best compromise to design
sturdy torches but also compatible with the
minimum width of weld grooves (i.e. a
thickness of 7mm for the torch body) and,
on the other hand, to develop mechanical
seam tracking to avoid collisions between
torches and weld groove sides (figure 4).
The purpose of this device will be to centre
the torch in the axis of the joint to be
welded or to guide the torch with respect
to one reference side. The self-centring
sensor system is used mainly in orbital
welding. It enables corrections to be made
in 3 dimensions (lateral position, orientation
in the axis of the weld groove and trim
correction). The lateral sensor device is
more suitable for continuous welding
applications on machines where the work
pieces are rotating. This system is very
simple to use, but requires manual
intervention to fine tune the position of the
electrode in the centre of the weld groove
being filled. Unlike the self-centring system,
offsets are possible and a gap is permitted
(if materials are dissimilar or of a thermal
non-equilibrium.
Fig. 3 : Polycar MP orbital carriage weld head
and standard torch for narrow gap
preparation up to 40 mm wall thickness.
- Sensitive materials which need either
limited constraints or limited welding heat
input.
Depending on the materials and problems
with weldability, mainly dependent on
chemical analysis of the base metals and
wire feed products, the dual-pass technique
is frequently limited to ½ pass advance
(generally downward for filling). This
technical constraint becomes very
significant in terms of the design of the
welding equipment which must include two
wire feed units and make provision for the
welding torches to be symmetrical (Figures
6a and 6b).
The relative increase in the width of the
weld groove in dual-pass welding does not
however affect the definition of the angle of
the weld groove which does not permit the
inclination of the torch any more than in
single-pass. Nevertheless, since the lack of
heavy arc pressure does not make it
possible to ensure good side wall fusion,
dual-pass welding requires other methods
of ensuring that the fillet welds are fused.
Two techniques are commonly used; either
replaces the traditional straight electrode by
a bevelled electrode or use a bent
electrode.
Concerning the seam tracking, dual-pass
welding only requires a reference on one of
the two fusion faces, this together with the
possible requirement to make more or less
pronounced offsets to modify the stacking
of the passes.

2. Narrow gap TIG welding,

dual-pass weld layer by layer
This technique is an alternative to the TIG hot wire standard torch
with motorized electrode stick-
single-pass weld by layer technique. It is out and seam tracker.

used when the thickness is consistent and

the financial or technical savings of the TIG
process continue to be substantial despite
welding times two or three times greater
than the method used in the single-pass
layer by layer process (figure 5).
The key factors for selecting this alternative
are primarily related to:
- Problems of preparation or alignment Fig 4 : Double torch assembly for mechanised
welding : Narrow gap torch and standard torch with
where the precision is incompatible with Finished weld / Capping pass motorized electrode stick-out
the single pass process.

Focus on Nuclear Power Generation, November 2008 39

3. Narrow gap TIG welding, Fig 5 Turbine Rotor welding station using TIG hot wire narrow gap double torch.
Mono or multi-pass per layer.
single-pass with oscillated
electrode
This is an interesting variant for very heavy
wall thicknesses, (of the order of 150 to
200mm), where use of the technique in one
pass per layer imposes technological
constraints which may be at the limit of
what is reasonable, (accuracy of the weld
groove controlling shrinkage, proportion and
technological limitation for design of the
torch, etc.).
For this reason, and mainly for non-orbital
applications, the oscillated passes
technique can make it possible to combine
the benefit of a single-pass weld layer by
Mock-up for turbine rotor, both nuclear and fossil (add fuel).
layer, while still having more flexibility with Up to 400 mm wall thickness
regards to width tolerance, (oscillation
amplitude of the electrode can still be further constraints to be taken into account Note: The selection of one of the variants
adjusted), with transverse shrinkage when adapting the torch to very hostile often corresponds to intermediate situations
constraints which are much more moderate environments (such as insertion in pre- which need compromises between the
than in pulled passes (single-pass weld heated environments with temperature environment, human resources or the
layer by layer type). limitations which can reach 400°C.) equipment available.
The equipment will be more complex,
(motorised, controlled and programmable Different variants Conclusion
oscillation of the wire and the electrode), Based on the techniques and associated Many options can be used for narrow gap
more bulky and usually, mounted on equipment described above, there are TIG welding of material thicknesses between
imposing installations (figure 7). several variations possible. 45 and 250 mm. In this range of thickness
Additional features are provided to make • Hot wire TIG or cold wire TIG welding. the choice of technique will influence how
automatic centring of the torches easier • Multi-pass layer by layer narrow gap the welding equipment is defined.
before and/or during welding. The principle welding. This is where the weld groove Single-pass layer by layer welding represents
of seam tracking by measuring the arc widths are more or less well-controlled or the best compromise regarding performance
voltage may be used in this case instead of where the well grooves exist but cannot be and the ease with which it can be
the mechanical sensing systems required modified. implemented by operators. Polysoude has
by fixed electrode torches. • Oscillated multi-pass layer by layer narrow focused its efforts in order to master the
Increasing the width of the weld groove gap welding. The situation is the same as various narrow gap welding techniques in
(from 13 to 18mm as required) allows with the fixed electrode technique. order to allow making the process more

Fig. 6a : 5 GT symmetric double downhill TIG hot wire narrow gap Fig. 6b TIG hot wire safe end narrow gap welding for nuclear steam
welding with Polycar MP. generator and reactor.

Focus on Nuclear Power Generation, November 2008 41

accessible. (figure 8).
The other side of the coin can be seen during
development wherein all the constraints have
to be included, (operative weldability,
approaching tolerances, machining
tolerances, shrinkage variation, etc.). All the
constraints referred to mean that a high level
of manufacturing control of the environment
is required, together with the compatibility
and sensitivity of the materials, which must
be carefully evaluated.
The alternative technique of dual-pass layer
by layer can permit to guarantee the use of
the narrow gap technique in cases wherein
the welding of metals or control of
workpieces is not compatible with single-
pass welding. This solution is to some extent
a fallback option in which productivity is
increased by a ratio of 2 to 3, but which
nevertheless proves to be competitive for
orbital applications on heavy wall thicknesses. Fig. 7 : Narrow gap TIG hot wire welding. Torch with
oscillating electrode and wire for wall thickness from
In the case of rotating workpieces, use of the 80 to 160 mm.
In the present case: base material P91 low alloy steel.
oscillated passes technique often proves to
be the best compromise for heavy wall
thicknesses in terms of the equipment and Fig. 8 : Different variants of narrow gap welding

preparation of the workpieces. Of course,

many variants are possible, and the final
choice remains with manufacturers who
must ensure they have all the influential
factors.

About the author

Jean-Pierre Barthoux, EWE, has

specialised in orbital welding since
1987. He joined Polysoude in 1992
and has been Director of the
Technology Department since
2001, after having spent many
years on developing heavy wall
thickness applications.

42 Focus on Nuclear Power Generation, November 2008